It All Started With an Annoyance
by manicbanana
Summary: Drummers never get the hot girls...but she was going to change that.
1. Chapter 1

Woohoo! My first fic. I've been meaning to do this for awhile, now, honestly. Please let me know how you like it, and I'll update as soon as possible!

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or it's characters and settings. But, oh man, I wish I did.

**Tap tap TATAP tap tap.**

She closed her eyes and inhaled, trying not to get annoyed.

**Tap tap taptaptap tap taptap.**

Couldn't she just enjoy her coffee and do her homework in peace?

**TAP tap TAP tap TAPTAP TAP.**

"Ugh!" Tifa sighed, as she slammed the lid of her laptop closed. Her thesis was due in less than 24 hours, and, though she had finished writing it, she still needed to proofread it one last time before turning it in.

She glanced around the quaint little coffee shop for the culprit of the noise. Why hadn't she just asked Yuffie if she could have had the apartment to herself today? No, she certainly didn't want to intrude on whatever she and Tifa's own brother were doing in that apartment. "Gross..." she murmured, as she shook the thought of Vincent and Yuffie out of her mind.

Across the room, seated in a corner booth, she spotted the tapper, who had begun tapping a new rhythm , his pen hitting the table so delicately, as he continued to concentrate on the papers on the table in front of him. She smirked as one of his bright blonde spikes fell over his eyes, him blowing it away with one quick burst of air from his lips.

_Well, I guess this is as close as I'm gunna get to perfecting this thesis anyways. I'll just finish up my coffee..._

Tifa leaned back in the booth, staring out the window and watching the people as they passed. There was a lovely song playing on the speakers above her head, and she had hardly noticed the alarm on her cell phone ring.

"Shit! I forgot about my appointment with Dr. Tuesti!" She scrambled out of the booth, shoveling her belongings back into her backpack, and spun around, directly into the tapper, who dropped his papers all over the ground, with her coffee spilling over them. Tifa kneeled down, trying to clean up the mess and save as much of his work as possible. "Oh my God, I am so sorry!" She exclaimed, looking up to meet stunned, crystal-blue eyes staring back at her.

"Don't worry about it, I should have been looking where I was going," he said softly, as he wiped the excess coffee off of the papers with a smile. "You're lucky you didn't get burned when it spilled on you," he noted, nodding at her stained shirt.

"Oh crap! And I don't have time to change before my appointment, either!" She whined, trying to wipe down her shirt as much as she could.

"I have an extra t-shirt in my backpack, if your appointment doesn't require you to be in anything too formal," the blonde suggested. She stared at him. A complete, albeit gorgeous, stranger, being this generous to her, after she had been the one to run into him, ruining what he had just spent the last hour working on? She looked down at the papers, which she noticed was sheet music.

"Oh my God...I ruined your music...I am so sorry..."

"No, no! It's okay, really, these were just copies, the real ones are at home. Here, take the shirt," he insisted, as he reached into his backpack, pulling out a red t-shirt with the words "The Edge of Reason" written on it and handing it to her.

"Thank you...What can I do to make it up to you?" She smiled, standing back up. "I'll need to meet up with you again to return the shirt, anyways."

He stood up with her, "Hmm, well, do you know where the '7th Heaven' is? My friends and I are going to be there tonight around 8 O'clock, if you wanna meet us there?"

She grinned, "That'll be fine! I actually work there, and tonight is my shift, so I'll just return the shirt to you, then!"

"Ok, well, see you then. Good luck at your appointment," he waved, and started out the door.

"Yeah...seeya...," she waved slowly. Her face was red hot. Had she been blushing that whole time?

"Dr. Tuesti, I am so sorry I'm late! I had a minor accident at the coffee shop, and I-"

"Tifa, don't worry about it, you're rarely ever late for your appointments," yelled the doctor from the back room.

"Okay...well, what do you want me to do today? I need to stretch, still," Tifa yelled back as she lifted her ankle to her thigh to stretch her quad muscles.

"I want to measure some kicks as they are applied to an enemy. I know, I know, we've already done those, but to get the exact same response from the robot, we need to measure and remeasure...I smell coffee, did you bring some back from the coffee shop?" Dr. Tuesti entered the room and sat at the computer from which he would map her movements and apply them to his, as Tifa liked to call it, "Ninja Kitty Robot."

"Um, no, sorry, I kinda ran into somebody and spilled my coffee all over myself," her face turned red at the embarrassment.

"Oh. What is "The Edge of Reason?" Asked Dr. Tuesti, a confused expression on his face. "I could tell you from a philosophical point of view, but I'm pretty sure that's not anything what the shirt has to do about."

"I'm not sure, the guy I ran into gave it to me, since my shirt was all stained."

"A guy? And does this guy have a name?" Asked the ever-so-fatherly doctor friend of hers.

"Um, probably...but I...kinda forgot to ask for it..." _Crap, that's going to make seeing him at the bar tonight a bit awkward, _she scrunched her eyes closed as she thought about it.

"Hm, well, just be careful. There are a lot of weirdos on this campus." He turned back to his computer and began typing away.

"Like you, you mean?" She replied matter-of-factly.

He ceased his typing and looked at her over the rim of his glaces, replying sarcastically, "Precisely".


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Cloud Strife waltzed into the basement belonging to his best friend, suddenly startled by Zack running across the room with a rather large amp.

"Hey man, you're late! Come on, we gotta get everything ready to load up the van!"

Cloud stood on the stairs, staring at his best friend. "Dude, Reno and Cissnei aren't even here with the van, yet. It's three in the afternoon, we still have an hour."

Zack froze in his place, "It's...three? But all the clocks in my house say four!" He set the amp on the floor and facepalmed. "Last night was daylight savings, wasn't it?"

Cloud nodded, smirking "Uh huh."

"Well, shit, lets sit on the couch and have a beer while we wait for them. Did you see '30 Rock' last night? My Ma DVR'd it," called Zack as he rifled through the fridge. "All I've got is 'Midgar's Best', that okay?" He hopped over the couch, where Cloud had moved to while he was in at the fridge.

"You gotta get a better taste in beer, man. There's a reason they call it 'Midgar's Beast'. Yeah, that's fine, though."

"Are you ready for tonight? This will be the biggest crowd we've played for, yet! Reno's friend's brother said he would try to get his record company friend to come out and see us."

Cloud looked at Zack disbelievingly, "...Reno's friend's brother's record company friend? That sounds promising..."

Blowing raspberries at Cloud's sarcasm, Zack seemed unaffected. "Well, whatevs. At least there will be hot girls at this gig."

"More than the gay bar we played at last week."

"Hey, you gotta admit, though, that was fun! They knew how to have a good time!"

Cloud laughed, "Yeah, they were pretty awesome! I'm actually looking forward to playing there again. Speaking of hot girls, though, I ran into one today."

Zack stared at him incredulously, "Really, now?"

"I mean, I literally ran into her. Or she ran into me. I'm not sure which, it was kind of a blur," Cloud admitted.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA! How did you manage THAT, friend?"

He sighed, "Well, neither of us were paying attention, really. I was looking down at some music I had written for my midterm on Monday, and she was running late for an appointment. Felt kinda bad, because her coffee spilled all over her shirt. I gave her one of our band shirts. She'll be at the gig tonight, apparently she works at the bar."

"Oooooo! She's hot AND she knows how to make a drink, huh? This could be good news, indeed...if not for you, for me!"

Cloud glared at his friend. Leave it to Zack to try to get all the women.

"Well, give me a description..."

"She's really beautiful. I know I said 'hot' before, but I mean, she was more than that. She has long, silky dark, and I mean _dark_ brown hair, down to her waist, medium-sized lips that are capable of the cutest smile, HUGE..." Cloud made a motion with his hands at his chest to symbolize the girl's biggest asset while Zack laughed. "And the most beautiful big bown...or more mahogany eyes I've ever seen in my entire life."

"Well, buddy, if she's all you're saying, this might be a competition!"

"Hey, Teef! Can you bring up some more bottles of vodka while you're down there? " Yuffie yelled from the bar area as they prepared for the night's activities. Tifa stuffed two bottles of vodka in the crate she was carrying, and trucked up the stairs with the heavy thing. After two years of working in 'The 7th Heaven', she had gained some spectacular arm strength, but it was the cumbersomeness of the crates that made it difficult for her. "Here here, I got that one. Why don't you go get dressed? It looks like the band just pulled up to set up their equipment. I'll keep an eye on things down here while you clean yourself up."

"'K, Thanks, Yuff. I'll be back down in a sec. My hands are filthy! I can't believe how much dust collects down there!"

"Ugh, I know! That's why I make you go down there!" Yuffie giggled.

"Thanks, buddy...I'll see ya in a sec!"

Yuffie continued to stock the shelves as Aerith, the other "shot girl," as everybody called her, burst through the door. "Hey girl! What's up?"

"Oh my God, did you SEE the guys in the band that's playing tonight?" Aerith asked as she hung up her jacket on the rack behind the bar. "They're outside unloading their equipment, and they're really yummy!"

Yuffie rolled her eyes, "Of course, Aerith. But can I remind you that you say that about EVERY guy in EVERY band that's played her EVERY week?" She grinned as Aerith punched her in the arm. "You know I love ya!"

The bell to the door rang, and Yuffie's jaw dropped as three gorgeous men began dragging in amplifiers and drum parts. A girl, about Yuffie's age, followed them, carrying a metal case. Yuffie recognized the red-haired man instantly as Reno, a guy from one of her psych classes. The other two she had never seen before in her life. The girl, however, was a very familiar face, a friend to all three of the bartenders, and a former bartender herself, Cissnei. "Yuffie! Aerith! It's been forever!" She ran up to her friends, giving them a group huge.

"Cissnei! We've missed you soooo much! So, this is your new band? You definitely won't have any problems scoring fans in the female category," said Aerith as she let her eyes explore the three men.

"Oh! Yeah! The guy with the red hair is Reno, he goes to school here, and plays bass. The guy with the black spiky hair is Zack Fair, he graduated about two years ago-"

"And man, does he LOOK fair..." Yuffie and Aerith interjected simultaniously.

"-And that, over there, is Cloud, the shy one. He grew up with Zack, but recently transferred colleges because we have a better music program than Mt. Nibel University."

Cloud looked up at hearing his name and waved at the three girls. "Hey Cissnei, I'm gunna finish setting up, then I'm gunna go and grab us some subs. You girls want anything?"

"No, that's ok! Thank you, though, _Cloud_," Aerith flirted.

Cloud blushed and rushed out the door as Yuffie laughed hysterically.

"What's so funny down here?"

The three girls whirled around to see Tifa coming down the stairs.

"Cissnei!"

"Tifa!"

The friends exchanged hugs. "So, your new band is playing tonight? Have you finally come up with a name?"

"Yup! We decided to go with something that had to do with our 'roots', ya know?"

"Well?"

"The Edge of Reason," stated Cissnei, quite proud of her ability at choosing band names.

"Really? A guy I met today gave me one of your shirts!"

Cissnei had a very confused look on her face as she sat down on a bar stool. "We have shirts? I didn't even know that..."

"Well, it looks like a band shirt. Maybe the guy was a groupie or something."

All three of the girls were sitting at the bar now, watching the two remaining boys set up the equipment.

Yuffie was staring at Tifa. "So...are you gunna tell us about why a guy gave you a shirt? And, what said guy looks like? You know you have to, now!"

Tifa explained the incident from earlier in the day to her friends.

"So, was he cute?," Aerith asked, insistantly.

Tifa glared at her friend "Is that all you think about? And, yeah, he kinda was! Cute enough to make me blush, at least. He said he'd be here tonight, so I'll give him the shirt back, then."

It was Yuffie and Cissnei's turn "What does he look like?"

"Yeah, maybe we can help you out, tell you if he's here."

"He's got blonde hair, spiked, with the most amazing blue eyes, almost the same color at that one crayon...cerulean. I just felt bad that I spilled coffee all over his sheet music."

Tifa heard the men across the room trying to muffle their giggles. "What's so funny over there, boys?"

"Oh nothing, I just think I know the guy you're talking about!," called Zack from across the room.

Tifa turned her head to look at Cissnei, who was giggling into her hand. "Cissnei, do you know, too?"

Cissnei nodded. "Oh, you'll definitely see him tonight..."

The bandmates' peculiar behavior during the evening had Tifa's mind running in circles. What if the guy was some crazy fanboy who followed them to every concert? What if he was Cissnei's stalker or something? If he was some kind of weirdo like Dr. Tuesti mentioned, maybe she would just hide behind the bar the rest of the night.

It was nearly 8 PM, and about time for the band to start their set. They had been outside eating dinner that their drummer had brought back for them, and Tifa was a bit irked that her friends had not come upstairs to ask her if she wanted anything when he asked. It was a good thing that she had some meatloaf upstairs in the apartment.

The bar was completely filled tonight. Tifa cranked up the air conditioning, so that it didn't get so hot from the crowd that people began passing out. That actually happened a few weeks ago, when "Hell House" played. Of course, people may have been passing out due to the violent mosh pit. Cissnei assured her that their fans were not nearly as crazy. "We're more like, pop-punk, or normal alternative."

The door to the bar opened, and Tifa twirled around as the bar patrons started cheering on the band members entering. One by one, they took the stage: Cissnei, Reno, Zack, and... "OH MY GOD!" Tifa yelled and punched Yuffie in the arm.

"OW! What, Teefs?" Yuffie rubbed the sore spot on her arm.

Tifa pointed at the spiky-haired blonde taking the back of the stage, "That's him! That's the guy from the coffee shop! He's their DRUMMER! Oh, I could kill Cissnei for not telling me!"

"Who? OH! You mean Cloud! I forgot that he left to get them food before you came down! Yeah, he's cool. Really shy, though." Yuffie went back to serving the customers lined up at the bar as Tifa stared at the stage.

Cissnei pulled the microphone to her lips, "Hey everybody! Welcome to "The 7th Heaven" bar! We'd like to thank our good friends here at "The 7th Heaven" for letting us play tonight, so, please tip them well and buy lots of drinks so they'll let us come again! For our first song, we'd going to play an original little ditty called "It's not me, it's you."

The band began playing, and Tifa just stared in amazement as the drummer, Cloud, hit his drums effortlessly, but with such precision, it made her head spin. No wonder he had been tapping on the table...he was a drummer.

Her attention was diverted by a blip of a pink shirt in the middle of the crowd with a tray in her hands, staring in the exact same spot she was. _Oh, of course, Aerith. And once you make your move on him, he'll be all yours, just like the rest..._Tifa sighed heavily and shook her head. As she began serving customers again, she'd occasionally glance up to watch Cloud play, and, if she wasn't mistaken, he was staring right back at her.

Most of the bar's patrons had left by the time the band finished it's set, probably not wanting to be too hung-over while studying for their midterms over the weekend. Cloud was talking to a small group of people, his shirt hanging over his shoulder, as he had taken it off half-way through the performance, much to Tifa's pleasure. She enjoyed watching the muscles in his arms and chest flex as his sticks struck the drums, and the sweat gleaming across his body under the stage lights. She continued to serve the remaining customers at the bar, and was pouring shots of tequila when she noticed somebody standing in front of her. She looked up, and into those familiar blue eyes.

"Hey there, remember me?" He smiled down at her.

Tifa was a bit speechless "...he...hey! How are you? I have your shirt, nice and clean!"

Cloud frowned for a second, but regained his smile, "Oh, no, you can keep it. Those are our new band shirts! I designed them myself."

"Oh! In that case, I think I should frame it, because who knows how much it'll be worth when you guys are famous!" Was she really flirting with this guy that she barely knew? Maybe it was that shot of rum she took with Yuffie earlier.

Cloud's face turned bright red at the remark, "I don't know about all _that..._but it's a very nice thing for you to say! I'm Cloud, by the way. Sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier, but, you know, awkward situation is awkward..."

Tifa laughed and held out her hand, which he took, "Tifa. Nice to meet you, Cloud. And what brings you out here to Edge? I know most of the students around here, and yet today is the first time I've seen your Chocobo head."

He blushed again and let go of her hand, which he used to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I just transferred, actually. My best friend, Zack, the black haired dude over there talking to the girl in the pink, went to school here, and I transferred to get into their music program."

Tifa smiled brightly, she loved how shy he was. "Oh? What's your major?"

"Music therapy. So, basically, I'm a psychologist that uses music to treat people. What are you going to school for?"

"Mechanical Engineering and Robotics. I've actually got a part-time internship right now with one of Shinra's ex-scientists, Dr. Reeve Tuesti. I'm helping him develop robotics that will hopefully replace humans on the battlefield."

"That is probably the coolest thing I've ever heard..." Cloud stated, and as she looked up at him, their eyes locked.

"Thanks...most people think it's kind of geeky..."

"I don't...I think you're doing something great for mankind!"

Tifa blushed, "We're also working on robotic prosthetics, helping people walk, be able to pick things up, write, that kind of stuff."

"That's amazing...I'd like to see this stuff sometime!"

At that, her face started burning up. Was that just him saying he'd like to spend more time with her? She turned away quickly so that he didn't see how red her face really was. "Maybe you can come by sometime. We can even put you in the dot suit and measure your movements to help with our research, if you're interested?"

"I'd be very interested in that. How can I get ahold of you to set up a time?" Now he was blushing again. He was obviously not used to asking a girl for her number, and was taking quite a roundabout route.

"Um, well, you can call the bar here...they can get you in touch with me..." She was going to toy with him a little bit, try to get him to really ask for her number.

"What if you're not here, like, what if you're at the store or something?"

_Oooo he's good at this game..._"Well, you could always leave a message..." she was smirking now, and by the look in his eyes, he could tell she was toying with him.

"But...what if you don't get the message? What if that girl in pink...Aerith? What if she doesn't give you the message, and then starts stalking me? Then we'd both lose!"

At that, she burst out laughing, "Okay, okay, you got me! Here..." She grabbed a pen and paper from under the bar and wrote her name and phone number on it. She held it out for him to take, but as he reached for it, she pulled it back, smirking. "Wait a second...what if you start stalking me?"

"Do I look like a stalker?"

"Does Aerith?"

"Yeah, she kinda looks like she'd be a stalker. I betcha that she'd be all like 'Why aren't you texting me back after 2 minutes? You haven't called me in 10 days, haven't you gotten the 10,000 voicemails I left you? _I can see you in you're room...,_" he mocked, the last bit in the creepiest voice he could muster.

Tifa was laughing hysterically, drawing glares from every direction, except Cloud, who was smiling with pleading eyes. "Okay, Okay, here you go..." She handed him the number, and watched as he dialed it into his phone. Her phone buzzed below the bar, telling her she had a missed call, which she assumed was from him. "And thank you for giving me yours!"

"You're welcome. Hey, I gotta go load up the van, so, um, I'll call you sometime, 'Kay?," he said as he stood up from his stool at the bar.

Tifa nodded and watched as he walked away, amazed at how such a crappy afternoon could turn into such an awesome night.

**Yay! An update! Thank you for the nice reviews. I was really nervous to begin writing on here, but it's really helping with my writers block on my other projects. I'll try to update again soon, but this is the last week of my speech class, and I've got tons of work (at work) on top of that, so, I'll try to write when I have time. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Gah, sorry it's taken so long for me to update! Been pretty busy with work, school, and volunteer work. I'll try to be more on top of it!**

"SPIKEY! WAKE UP!"

"Ughhhhhhhh...whaaaa...?" Cloud groaned as he pried his eyes open, to see Zack standing over him with a glass of orange juice and a bowl of cereal.

"I made you breakfast! Thanks for letting me crash over here last night, dude."

Cloud sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes, "It's no problem, man. I didn't want you driving home after all those shots." He took the bowl and juice from his friend's hands, setting the juice on his nightstand.

"Well, I felt bad talking to Aerith and keeping her from doing her job. I don't even remember how many I ended up buying..."

"And somehow you're not hungover...How do you do it?"

"Oh, that'll come in about 2 hours...anyways, guess what? I got her number!" Zack exclaimed and puffed out his chest.

Cloud rolled his eyes, "As if that's difficult for you. You're the lead guitarist of the band, and I know I saw at least three other girls slip you their numbers after the show." He looked down at his cereal, not feeling all that hungry, anymore.

"Actually, it took quite awhile to get Aerith to give her's up. She's a tricky one. I think she's my kind of girl!"

Cloud looked at his friend, a bit alarmed. "Well, go for it, then. You can't have the band play at your wedding, you know," he said, smirking.

Zack's face turned bright red. "Whoa, whoa! Who said anything about wedding! Anyways, lets talk about YOU, mister 'I can't talk to girls!' You sure were flirting it up with that hottie bartender last night!"

Cloud stood up abruptly and turned towards his dresser, pretending to look for something to wear for the day, to hide his red face. "We were just talking. She's really nice. Plus, I can talk to girls after a gig, I think it's all the adrenaline and excitement running through me."

Zack wasn't convinced "Oh? What did you talk about? What's her name?"

"...Tifa..." The name was like silk on his lips. He closed his eyes and imagined her warm smile and kindness. "She's the girl I ran into yesterday afternoon at the cafe. She's studying mechanical engineering."

"Wow, smart cookie! Also, can you say H-O-T? Did you get her number?"

He nodded "Yup, I just have no idea what I'm going to do with it."

Zack's jaw dropped, and shook his head in amazement. "Well, hmm, you could eat it for breakfast, frame it, make it into a paper football, or, you know, you could CALL HER!"

Cloud rolled his eyes at his best friend, "I meant, I don't know when to call her, or if I should text her, or what? You know I'm not good at this..."

" You could play it safe and wait three days to call her, or you could not be a jackass and just call her today. Probably later on, though, you don't wanna wake her up."

He thought about it for a second and nodded, "Yeah, I might do that..." He then felt a hard slap on his back.

"That's my boy! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go puke up some rainbow shots." At that, Zack ran out of the room.

_ "Now, just to think of what to say when I call..." _Cloud sighed and fell back into his bed.

"Mmmmmmm..." Tifa groaned heavily as the warm sunlight leaking through her shades hit her face, waking her from one of the best dreams she'd had in months. Her sleep was usually riddled with nightmares from all the stress she dealt with during the day: Schoolwork, her internship, and her job at the bar, but last night was different. She dreamt of the boy, no, the man, she met that day. His shy, sweet smile, his soothing voice, and those beautiful cerulean blue eyes.

Tifa sighed and closed her eyes again, remembering the night before, when he was actually there. She envisioned the way the sweat shimmered against his skin, and the way his muscles flexed with each movement. _"Damn, I need to get a life...here I am, having fantasies about a guy I've known for a day? Come on, Teef!" _She slowly drug herself out of bed, making her way into the kitchen for some coffee. She began filling up the coffee pot, but as she did, something much more appealing came to mind. _"Mocha Latte...yes...and a fresh bagel..." _Smirking, Tifa poured out the water, and proceeded to hop in the shower before her roommates could grab it.

Once she was done with her morning routine, Tifa made her way to the cafe down the street. As she strolled down the sidewalk, she couldn't help but hope that the adorable blonde, Cloud, would have had the same idea she had that morning. Even if he didn't, the cafe was still a good place to study for midterms, which she would definitely need to be doing this weekend. Thank Gaia, she only had one semester left before graduation.

As she strolled down the sidewalk, she couldn't help but noting what a beautiful autumn morning it was. The leaves were beginning to change in the trees, and as the crisp air hit her face, Tifa closed her eyes and inhaled, the fragrance apple trees imported from Banora, filling her with peace.

Before she could open her eyes, her body was suddenly stopped by a large mass, almost sending her backwards. She felt hands on her shoulders, keeping her upright, and opened her eyes to meet a familiar blue. "Whoa, well, we just keep running into each other, don't we?" She asked.

The blond was just as startled as she, and his face turned red with embarrassment. "Heh, sorry about that...I should have been watching where I was going. What are you up to this fine..." he looked at his watch, "afternoon?"

Tifa swore to herself. Did she really wake up that late? Tucking a piece of dark brown hair out of her eyes, she "I was just heading to get some coffee! Gotta get that caffeine fix before it gets too late, you know?"

Cloud gave her a little, shy smile, "Well, me too," he said as he pointed across the street to the coffee shop, "You don't work tonight?"

She shook her head "Nope! The bar is closed tonight because of midterms on Monday. The owner doesn't want students partying instead of studying, and then the city shutting her down..." She paused, not knowing what to say next.

Cloud looked down at his feet, then up to her eyes, "Are you planning on studying in the cafe?"

"I thought about it, but I'm kind of studied-out. I might go hard-core tomorrow. You?"

He shrugged, "Nah...hey, you wanna share a table? It looks kind of crowded in there."

A smile crept onto Tifa's face, "Oh, I suppose!"

The crosswalk sign changed a few seconds later, and the two made their way across the street, and into the cafe. Once their coffee was ordered, the found a small booth over by the window, where there weren't a lot of people studying.

"So...your band is pretty amazing, you know. The owner of the bar wants you guys back, and is going to try to get her producer friend to come out!" Tifa exclaimed.

Cloud looked surprised, "Really? That would be kind of cool. Cissnei and Zack would love that."

Tifa was confused, "What about you? You don't want a record deal?"

"Well, the band is really more of a hobby for me. I mean, it would be nice to be a part of something that big, but fame kind of scares me."

"Oh, I see. I can understand that, it's not for everybody. You're quite the showman, though! And so outgoing after the show."

"Well, that was a little bit of liquid courage!" he laughed, "I had one beer, and that was enough to get me to perform...and to talk to you..."

Tifa's face turned bright red. "You don't have to be scared to talk to me. I'm pretty friendly."

"You are! I'm just not used to talking to women like you."

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"You know...beautiful...Zack has no problem, and he wanted to get your number. I usually lose out to him."

Tifa's ruby-colored eyes twinkled as she stared at him. Nobody had ever called her beautiful right off the bat like that. It was usually when they were trying to get something from her. Cloud was different, and she liked that about him, a lot. "Well, I'm glad you talked to me, first. I prefer blonds over dark hair, anyday."

Cloud looked up from his coffee, and his bright eyes met her's, a smile in them. "Hey...so, since you're not working tonight, would you like to do something?"

That was the question she was waiting for. "Hmm, like, a second date?"

His brow furrowed, a confused look on his face. "Second?"

"Well, yeah, this can be our first, I figure. Coffee is a good first date, even if it was accidental."

Nodding, Cloud agreed, "Okay, sure! What would you like to do?"

"How about minigolf? There's a great place right on the outskirts of Edge."

"Oh, yeah, I know that place. How about we grab a bite to eat at the restaurant next door, as well?"

Tifa nodded. She had a good feeling about this. It was going to be a fantastic day.


	4. Chapter 4

Tifa was worn out by the time she got back to the apartment she shared with Yuffie and Aerith. She had skipped almost the entire way home. It was a beautiful day outside, and she was excited to have plans for the night with a certain someone.

She entered the apartment to find her roommates on the couch playing Apples to Apples with her brother. "Hey guys. Vincent, I wasn't aware you had the sense of humor to play this game?" she said as she threw her keys and purse on the counter.

"I don't," he replied with a scowl.

"Yeah, I don't think Vince has won a single round. We also have to pick serious answers when he's the judge," yawned Yuffie.

"This isn't as fun as I thought it would be…Tifa, you wanna join us?" Aerith pleaded with her.

"Though I would _love_ to wet my pants laughing with you guys, I can't, I gotta get ready."

Vincent looked up, "For what?" His red eyes were curious as to what his sister was hiding.

"I'm going out this evening," Tifa was smirking as she said it and walked to her room.

Yuffie shot up from her seat, "With _who?! _That cute guy from the band that was talking to you last night? Cloud?!"

She laughed, "Yup! We ran into each other and had some coffee, and decided to have a third date!" Tifa opened her closet to look for something to wear. "_Sexy? Cute? Conservative? Oh Gods, this shouldn't be this difficult…" _She thought to herself.

Yuffie and Aerith barged into her room. "What? That's it? That's all you're going to say about it? And wouldn't this be your _first _date?" questioned Aerith as she closed the door behind her.

"Yeah, no kidding. Spill the beans Tifa Lockhart!" Exclaimed Yuffie.

Tifa pulled a pair of skinny jeans and a green halter top out of the closet and held them together up against herself. Both roommates shook their heads with disgusted looks on their faces. "What? What's wrong with this one?"

"Tifa…you look like you're just going to the mall. I mean, you look amazing in anything, but don't you want to make him drool?" Aerith got up and began sifting through the closet, throwing clothes that she wanted to borrow on the bed as she went.

"While she's finding a sexy little outfit for you, why don't you enlighten me about what you and the spikey-haired hunk are doing tonight? I'm surprised he spoke to you so freely last night. Cissnei said he's really shy!"

Tifa blushed and sat down on the bed crosslegged across from Yuffie. She took out her brush and began absentmindedly brushing through her long dark brown hair. "Well, we decided to do something fun…mini golfing, and also, we're gunna eat at that steak place over by the mini golf course."

"BORING! You said this was your third date! You know what happens on the third date, Teef!" Yuffie winked at her friend as Tifa shook her head.

"Well, it's technically our first real date, but we decided to say it's our third, since we had last night and this afternoon. And, maybe that kinda thing happens on your first dates, but I'd like to think that I can last a little longer than that…"

Aerith giggled , "Riiiight Teef…what about with Johnny?"

Tifa rolled her eyes, annoyed, "That was like, four years ago! I was stupid and young. Though, I will be honest, I wouldn't mind having Cloud naked in my bed…" She beamed as Aerith brought out the perfect outfit – Tight black jeans, a red top that would show off her cleavage, and black strapped shoes with 3-inch heels. "That'll work…it'll be a little difficult to mini golf in, but I can always bring a change of shoes."

"You'll be fine! I doubt the mini golf is really going to matter anyway. If I were in your shoes, I'd have just said skip the mini golfing and come back to 'watch a movie' after dinner." Yuffie made quotation motions with her fingers as she spoke.

"Yeah! Get dressed, girly! Do you think you could get him to talk me up to Zack? Since you're taking the one I originally set my eyes on, I wouldn't mind getting to know Mr. Fair," Aerith asked as Tifa made her way into her bathroom to shower.

"We'll see. Now, can I shower without 20 questions guys?"

Cloud was nearly hyperventilating as he approached 7th Heaven on his motorcycle. He hoped he wasn't sweating through his black button-up shirt, but he really couldn't help it. He was so nervous about this date. He hadn't been out with somebody since his freshman year of college, and that turned into the year-long relationship from hell. His ex, Scarlet, knew how to take advantage of a guy like him, and it had left both his heart, and his bank account, broke.

He was thankful for the breeze cooling him off. Pit stains were not how he wanted this date to start out. Especially not on a date with _her. _Ok, so, he wasn't going to lie, she seemed so familiar to him. As if he had known her his whole life. He didn't know why. She had lived here her entire life from what he knew. Of course, he didn't really ask her about her childhood.

His bike rounded the corner into the parking lot of 7th heaven and he pulled up to the door. There were a few cars there, but he assumed they were not patrons, since the bar was closed. He parked his bike, climbed off, and nervously walked to the door. It was locked, but there was a call box next to it. He pressed the button, and it buzzed.

"Hello?" A man's voice came from the box.

"Um, Hi, I'm uh, looking for, um, looking for Tifa?"

"What for?" The man sounded younger, probably in his twenties. He also sounded irritated.

"Uh..we were going to go mini-golfing tonight," Cloud said nervously. "_Please don't tell me she has a boyfriend and I've walked into a trap…"_

"Oh. She'll be down in a little bit."

"_Okay then…should I just stand here then or….?"_

About a minute passed, then the box buzzed at him and a feminine voice came through it "Cloud? Are you there? I'm sorry about that, come on up!"

He was stunned for a second, but then the door buzzed, signaling the unlock, and he opened it and walked into the bar. It was dark, and seemed musty, in a way. A huge change from when he was there the other night. He walked up the stairwell that was labeled "PRIVATE HOUSING—RESIDENTS ONLY". When he reached the top, he knocked on the door, which immediately opened to reveal the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

There she was, dark brown hair more than halfway down her back, black jeans that hugged her perfectly shaped legs, and her ruby red eyes sparkling as she smiled at him. All he was wearing was a black button up shirt and some jeans. He didn't deserve to even be seen with her!

"Hey!" She grinned. "Come on in, Cloud. Sorry about that downstairs. My brother isn't the most social of people. I don't know how Yuffie puts up with him."

"H-hey…" He breathed. "Your brother? I was wondering who that was!" He was quite relieved.

"Yes, that's me," came a voice from over on the couch, "and I'm not unsociable, I'm just protective of my sister."

Cloud recognized Yuffie next to him, and stifled a laugh as she jabbed the black-haired man with her elbow. "Vince, that's no excuse to be rude."

Tifa rolled her eyes and then smiled at Cloud. "So, shall we head out? I'm starving." She walked past him as he held the door for her, and he couldn't help but check her out another time. She looked back and caught him, and just smirked as his face turned red.

"_Ah shit…"_ She turned back around and flipped her hair over her shoulder. As they got out of the building, she stopped dead in her tracks in front of Fenrir.

"You have a motorcycle?! Wow…it's beautiful!" She walked up to Fenrir and let the tips of her fingers drag against the side of it's body.

"Heh…yeah…I built him myself."

"Him? Does he have a name?" Tifa leaned against the bike and smirked.

"Fenrir," he admitted as he looked down and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"Ahh, the wolf son of Loki?" She asked.

He looked up, stunned. She knew about Norse mythology? This girl just gets better by the minute. "Yeah! It's symbolism for power. My symbol is the wolf, so it was fitting to have a motorcycle with a name to match my personality. Not that I'm powerful, but this bike sure is!"

She beamed at him and stood up as he walked towards her. He got on the bike and stabilized it for her to climb on. Once she was on she wrapped her arms around him, and he started it up. He sat in the spot for just a little bit, enjoying the feeling of her arms around his torso. Once the bike was warmed up, they rolled out of the parking spot, and sped into the evening.


End file.
